Device for continuously treating fabrics

ABSTRACT

A device for continuously treating fabrics which comprises an outer shell body, a perforated inner vessel of a half-cut drum shape provided within said outer shell body and pivotally supported on rollers and driven by a shaft to be swingably oscillated therewithin, and a pair of fabric inlet and outlet tubes provided at each end of said inner vessel, respectively, in alignment with an axial line thereof; and, said inner vessel being provided with one or more turbulence plates whose height and shape are changeable disposed on its inside wall in an axial direction thereof, a pair of plates having a suitable width to prevent a fabric material from jumping out thereof under treating conditions fixed to each longitudinal edge thereof covering its whole length, respectively, and a plurality of parallel grooves having a saw-tooth cross-section on its entire inside surface which are extending to both sides of its axial line at an angle with respect thereto.

United States Patent [191 Horie et al.

[ 3,821,883 [451 July 2,1974

DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING FABRICS Inventors: Hajime Horie; Hideo Okuyama, both of Fukui; Tokihide Suzuki, Fukui-ken, all of Japan F ukui Seiren Kako Kabushiki Kaisha, Fukui-shi, Fukui-ken, Japan Filed: Dec. 18, 1972 Appl. No.: 315,936

Assignee:

US. Cl 68/18 C, 68/153, 68/184 Int. Cl...... D06f 21/04, D06f 37/06, B05c 3/08 Field of Search 68/18 R, 18 C, 153, 172,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/l92l Hoffman 68/l72 3/1958 Olson 68/153 X Primary ExaminerHarvey C. Hornsby Assistant ExaminerPhilip R. Coe Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Anthony Scott ABSTRACT A device for continuously treating fabrics which comprises an outer shell body, a perforated inner vessel of a half-cut drum shape provided within said outer shell body and pivotally supported on rollers and driven by a shaft to be swingably oscillated therewithin, and a pair of fabric inlet and outlet tubes provided at each end of said inner vessel, respectively, in alignment with an axial line thereof; and, said inner vessel being provided with one or more turbulence plates whose height and shape are changeable disposed on its inside wall in an axial direction thereof, a pair of plates having a suitable width to prevent a fabric material from jumping out thereof under treating conditions fixed to each longitudinal edge thereof covering its whole length, respectively, and a plurality of parallel grooves having a saw-tooth cross-section on its entire inside surface which are extending to both sides of its axial line at an angle with respect thereto.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING FABRICS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION and difference in a specific gravity of a solvent emhaving a wide range of applications, including effective destarching, refining and relaxing treatments of fabrics relaxing treatments, there has been known so-called rotary washer which essentially consists of a drum adapted to be rotated forward and backward. However, the device referred to does not allow a continuous operation and is not totally satisfactory in view of its low efficiency and productivity. Extensive studies have been carried out in recent years in an attempt to develop a device which permits the continuous operation in a high efficiency to eliminate drawbacks of the rotary washers known heretofore.

With regards to the crimping and relaxing treatments, it has been clarified that there are involved four essential factors, namely, 1) strong and uniform beating action, (2) treating temperature, (3) treating time and (4-) tension of fabric to be treated.

So far as devices for relaxing treatment of woven or knitted textured fabrics which requires relative weak a beating action and comparatively short treating time are concerned, there have been developed and widely used various devices which afford high performance and productivity. However, as for the crimping treatment of fabrics made of highly twisted yarns in which a strong beating action is required and the treating time has a great bearing, the rotary washers are still in fashion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a device for a continuous crimping treatment which may be successfully used for not only an effective crimping treatment of textile fabrics composed of highly twisted yarns but also the relaxing treatment of woven or knitted textured fabrics as well as conventional wetting treatment of fabrics, for example, a soaping treatment after printing.

The device of the present invention is characterized by that it enables a continuous treatment of fabrics in the form of a rope for a prolonged period of time while retaining the effective beating action afforded by the rotary washer and that it permits the use of a solvent in place of hot water commonly used hitherto to produce uniformly and beautifully crimped textile fabrics in a relatively short period of time.

In the wetting treatment of fabrics, devices meant for the use of hot water known heretofore as such are hardly applicable to the wetting treatment using a solvent,dueto difficulties involved in the sealing system ployed. v

In contrast, the device of the present invention enables an interchangeable use of water and a solvent with a mere addition of a solvent recovering means because of the facts that it facilitates a tight sealing of the system and that it involves no special mechanical rolls as means for transferring fabrics andthat it affords a powerful agitation effect which is strong enough to overcome the floating of fabrics under treatment due to difference in specific gravities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings illustrate some embodiments of the present invention in which:

FIG. '1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention wherein a part thereof is cut to show the inside:

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1 at A-A' position;

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a perforated inner vessel of a half-cut drum shape;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of an inside surface of the inner vessel illustrated in FIG. 3 along the line B-B; and,

FIG. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of the present invention wherein a part thereof is cut to show the inside.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is provided inside an outer shell body 1 an inner vessel 2 of a half-cut drum shape having a shaft 3 connected to its end face and supported by a plurality of supporting rollers 10 so as to be adapted to be swingably oscillated in a pendulum fashion. At both ends of said inner vessel 2'in alignment with its axial line are provided a fabric inlet tube6 and fabric outlet tube 7 which are fixedly mounted to said outer shellbody l in such a manner that they do not disturb the oscillating movement of said inner vessel 2 inside said outer shell body 1.

On a peripheral surface of said inner vessel 2 are provided a number of holes 9 and on an inside wall of the same are fixedly mounted one or more turbulence plates 5 which are juxtaposed along'a longitudinal direction of said inner vessel, while height and shape of said turbulence plate are made freely changeable. Said inner vessel 2 is further provided with checking plates 4 which serve to prevent a fabric material under treatment from jumping out of the inner vessel, and a plurality of parallel grooves 8 having a saw-tooth crosssectional shape which serve to encourage travelling of fabrics within said inner vessel 2.

On top of said outer shell body 1 is fixedly mounted a vapor collecting means 13 for recovering solvent vapor which is connected to a condensing unit 15 via a duct 14. The condensed solvent is either recycled to said outer shell body 1 via a pipe 16 or fed to a solvent reservoir tank (not shown) via a pipe 17 for reuse.

In carrying out the crimping or relaxing treatment of fabrics by employing the device of the present invention, first water or a solvent retained in the outer shell body 1 is maintained at a predetermined temperature and, after adding thereto suitable agents if desired, a fabric material to be treated is introduced into the inner vessel 2 through the fabric inlet tube 6. The fabric material thus fed into the inner vessel is subjected to the beating action resulting from a continuous oscillating motion of the inner vessel which causes complicated combination of mechanical vibration and impact involving a pressure of water or solvent which comes in and goes out through the perforations provided on the peripheral surface of the inner vessel as it continues to oscillate, and a continuous movement of the fabric material itself which is lifted up by the turbulence plate 5 and then dropped suddenly the next moment.

Water or the solvent and the fabric material being treated which are lifted up and then suddenly dropped by the oscillating motion of the inner vessel flow along the saw-toothed grooves 8 provided on the inside wall of the inner vessel 2 so that the fabric material intro duced to the inlet side of the inner vessel travels automatically toward the outlet side thereof.

The said grooves 8 having saw-tooth cross-sectional shape are, as shown in FIG. 3, inclined toward the outlet for fabric material with respect to the axis line of the inner vessel 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, narrow projections. which define the grooves 8, on the inner surface of the inner vessel 2 are so formed that they have respective perpendicular surfaces at the outlet side thereof and the inner surface thus constructed of the inner vessel 2 is helpful for fiber material therein to be forced out of the outlet. The inner surface of the inner vessel 2 is cross-sectionally shaped like teeth of a saw as mentioned above and a treating solution supplied through the wall of the inner vessel 2 always flows along the grooves 8 made in the inner surface thereof toward the outlet. fiber material to be treated being also gradually moved toward the outlet with the flow of the treating solution.

The construction ofthe turbulence plate 5 fixedly mounted to the inside wall of the inner vessel 2 is such that its height, shape and number are conveniently altered depending upon the types of yarns and textures composing the fabric to be treated.

If the turbulence plate 5 is fixed inside the inner vessel 2 with two or more than two bolts, it can be easily removed. Then, it is recommended that several kinds ofturbulence plates having different heights and shapes be prepared beforehand so that the most suitable one may be selected and used depending upon the material to be treated.

Fabric material having been sufficiently subjected to the beating action by the oscillating motion of the inner vessel 2 for a prolonged period of time is taken out of the system through the fabric outlet tube 7 for transferring to the subsequent processing.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment as well, the device includes an outer shell body 1, a perforated inner vessel of a half-cut drum shape 2, a shaft 3, checking plates 4, one or more turbulence plates 5 and a pair of fabric inlet tube 6 and outlet tube 7. In this device, however, the travelling of a fabric material being treated through the inner vessel is accomplished by sucking in a treating liquid contained in the outer shell body 1 and strongly jetting the liquid from a nozzle 12 provided within the fabric inlet tube 6 into the inner vessel by employing a pump means 11 connected to the outer shell body I. By this arrangement, the fabric material being treated travels along with the flow of liquid thusly circulated.

As described in the foregoing, the device of the present invention enables the continuous treatment of fabrics and treatments with a solvent, while enjoying the effective beating action afforded by'the conventional rotary washer known heretofore to the fullest extent. By virtue of the characteristic features of the device of the present invention, the crimping treatment of textile fabrics composed of highly twisted yarns which could not be accomplished by the conventional devices for continuous crimping treatment known hitherto is now made possible to produce uniformly and beautifully crimped textile fabrics.

We claim:

1. A device for continuously treating fabrics which comprises an outer shell body, a perforated inner vessel of a half-cut drum shape provided within said outer shell body and pivotally supported by a shaft to be swingably oscillated therewithin, and a pair of fabric .inlet and outlet tubes provided at each end of said inner vessel, respectively, in alignment with an axial line thereof, said inner vessel being provided with one or more turbulence plates whose height and shape are changeably disposed on its inside wall in an axial direction thereof, a pair of plates having a suitable width to prevent a fabric material from jumping out thereof under treating conditions fixed to each longitudinal edge thereof covering its whole length, respectively, and a plurality of parallel grooves having a saw-tooth cross-section on its entire inside surface which are extending to both sides of its axial line at an angle with respect thereto.

2. Adevice for continuously treating fabrics which comprises an outer shell body, a perforated inner vessel of a half-cut drum shape provided within said outer shell body and pivotally supported by a shaft to be swingably oscillated therewithin, a pair of fabric inlet and outlet tubes provided at each end of said inner vessel, respectively, in alignment with an axial line thereof, and a recycling pump means for sucking in a treating liquid contained in said outer shell body and jetting the liquid into said fabric inlet tube, said inner vessel being provided with one or more turbulence plates whose height and shape are changeable disposed on its inside wall in an axial direction thereof and a pair of plates having a suitable width to prevent a fabric materialfrom jumping out thereof under treating conditions fixed to each longitudinal edge thereof covering its whole length, respectively.

3. A device according to claim 2 further comprising a plurality of parallel grooves having a saw-tooth crosssection on its entire inside surface which are extending to both sides of its axial line at an angle with respect thereto.

4. A device according to claim 2 wherein said device further includes means for collecting and condensing solvent vapor to recover and recycle the solvent. 

1. A device for continuously treating fabrics which comprises an outer shell body, a perforated inner vessel of a half-cut drum shape provided within said outer shell body and pivotally supported by a shaft to be swingably oscillated therewithin, and a pair of fabric inlet and outlet tubes provided at each end of said inner vessel, respectively, in alignment with an axial line thereof, said inner vessel being provided with one or more turbulence plates whose height and shape are changeably disposed on its inside wall in an axial direction thereof, a pair of plates having a suitable width to prevent a fabric material from jumping out thereof under treating conditions fixed to each longitudinal edge thereof covering its whole length, respectively, and a plurality of parallel grooves having a sawtooth cross-section on its entire inside surface which are extending to both sides of its axial line at an angle with respect thereto.
 2. A device for continuously treating fabrics which comprises an outer shell body, a perforated inner vessel of a half-cut drum shape provided within said outer shell body and pivotally supported by a shaft to be swingably oscillated therewithin, a pair of fabric inlet and outlet tubes provided at each end of said inner vessel, respectively, in alignment with an axial line thereof, and a recycling pump means for sucking in a treating liquid contained in said outer shell body and jetting the liquid into said fabric inlet tube, said inner vessel being provided with one or more turbulence plates whose height and shape are changeable disposed on its inside wall in an axial direction thereof and a pair of plates having a suitable width to prevent a fabric material from jumping out thereof under treating conditions fixed to each longitudinal edge thereof covering its whole length, respectively.
 3. A device according to claim 2 further comprising a plurality of parallel grooves having a saw-tooth cross-section on its entire inside surface which are extending to both sides of its axial line at an angle with respect thereto.
 4. A device according to claim 2 wherein said device further includes means for collecting and condensing solvent vapor to recover and recycle the solvent. 